


Scampi's New Fireteam

by shutframe



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:53:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28034961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutframe/pseuds/shutframe
Summary: Two Guardians help out a friend in need.
Kudos: 1





	1. No Ramen Here

One nice thing about an old concrete parking garage is that sound carried. The hum and whine of a Sparrow approaching echoed through the mostly-empty passages. Seeks, the Awoken warlock, looked up from the black box he was poking at, a tangled mess of wires next to him as he tried to figure out which one actually fit. "That Scampi?" he asked, rubbing at his scalp, brow furrowing nervously. They'd lived there for years now, the patched, well-worn tents and tarps forming a miniature complex where they could get comfortable, naked, and let loose. Still, even after all that time, there was still always the faint echo of fear that a group of marauding Fallen, looking for scrap, or a platoon of Cabal searching for somewhere new to claim and plant a flag. Or worse still, that a Ghost would pick up some sterile neutrinos, the only warning before Taken ripped through the skin of reality to attack.

Professor shimmered into view next to him, the sleek and brightly-colored shell glimmering as his eye flickered. "Yes," he said simply, voice even and calm. The Ghost’s voice was always even and calm. "Alexa pinged me. Wouldn't say why they're back so soon from their Ether run, though. Must be important, that Sparrow's moving at least twice the usual speed Scampi pushes it."

The flap of a tarp pushed back and Solo, the brightly-colored Exo, peeked his head out. "Oh, good!" he said, slipping his pants back on, mouth opening in a simulated yawn. "Hope he brought back something good. I'm hungry."

Bright green eyes glanced up to his robot friend, a smile breaking out on Seeks’ blue skinned face. "Oh you're gonna start sucking back Ether too now?" he asked playfully.

The sound of a drum sting chimed in the air as Cupcake flickered into sight, her brightly-painted shell standing out against the dull grey of the concrete structure. "Good one," she said, a hint of playful sarcasm in her voice as she orbited Solo's head. "He wasn't even gone long enough to get to the Tower, so I doubt he's got any ramen for you, dude."

Solo's shoulders slumped. "Aww, man," he said dejectedly, shoulders slumping and melodramatically grumping over to the bowl that they'd set up a safe (as Professor measured it) distance away to put food into his pet Warbeast's bowl. "Here, Warbles! Better be something real important, then." The Exo slunk away while the formerly-Cabal Warbeast he'd tamed into submission with unrelenting affection and treats lumbered over and tore her breakfast to shreds. Pulling pants off and tossing them aside, he went into the tarps they'd set up with an overhead shower, connected to a jury-rigged water collector/purifier. Soon the singing began, along with the shooshing noise of the water spraying over him.

Professor's shell shifted, segments twisting and spinning in a thoughtful pattern. It was Seeks who spoke up first, though. "He'll be here soon, hopefully it's just a good cache that we can give him a hand with!" he smiled brightly as he resumed tinkering. After a moment's pause, a wire seemed to fit into the slot on the machine. "Oh! Oh! Think I got one!" He hopped up, moving over to their generator, fiddling with the settings, muttering something about alterations to the wattage, before flicking a switch. After a pause, a pop and hiss sounded, acrid smoke rising from the black box he'd been working on. Quickly flipping the switch off, he sunk to his knees melodramatically. "Nooooooooo!"

"It would only take five seconds for me to analyze the device and fabricate the appropriate wires for it, you know," Professor said, his voice dry and amused at his Guardian's despair.

"Yeah, but that'd take away the fun," Seeks replied, climbing to his feet. "Besides, we've still got a few hundred of them from that storage facility we found, so I'm not too worried." He moved to a corner of the garage's level that had apparently been set aside to store stacks of boxes, all of them labelled "BrayTech VR-enabled GameWorld Generator." Picking up another one, he waited for Professor to transmat away the burned-out husk before opening it up and beginning to unpack.

Solo finished his morning shower and stepped out, nodding to Cupcake, who began to play soft happy music. "It'll be so much more fun cuz we did it ourselves!" he said, nodding decisively at his friend's Ghost. "I get first player!"

"Aww c'mon you got first player last time!" Seeks whined as he went back to tinkering with the new box. Their friendly whining and bickering was interrupted by the Sparrow reaching their level, screeching and hissing as it pulled up short as their friend leapt off of it and rushed toward them, obviously agitated.

The Awoken and Exo's friendly smiles and waves faded as they saw their Eliksni friend stumble off his sparrow and dart over toward them as fast as he could scamper. "Poison!" he said, his voice carrying a raspy hiss that most would recognize immediately. Fortunately for Scampi, Seeks and Solo were already well aware of his identity. Around strangers, however, Alexa did all the talking. "The Scorn! Trying to poison, would kill who knows how many!" His words came tumbling out in a jumble.

"What?" All four of them, two Ghosts and two Guardians, said in unison. All levity gone, they moved in close.

Questions tangled over each other as everyone tried to figure out what was going on. It was Professor who brought things together. "We need more information," he said, clear sharp voice cutting through the confusion.


	2. Figuring Out

Scampi nodded, bending over in a very recognizable gesture to catch his breath. "Was scavenging, for Ether," he said. "Found information on a shipment. Abandoned, I thought. Maybe some raiders that would never come back, maybe they just thought it was hidden better, but no." He shook his head and stood up straight.

Alexa shimmered into visibility over his shoulder. The Ghost was technically still looking for a Guardian of its own, but for now, decided that the two of them could help each other out. Just until Alexa found their own Guardian. "Let me show you," it said, projecting a hologram of numbers and voice files flashing by. Cupcake and Professor gathered around, able to process the dizzying display of information more easily than their Guardians.

"I'll call the Vanguard, see if we can get some Strike support," Seeks tossed the bundle of wires he was going to try next to the ground, brow furrowed in concern. "Leave it to those gross, creepy assholes to try to poison our water supply."

"Wait, no!" Scampi called, reaching out to stop the Awoken man from contacting others. "They ... won't help. Won't want to help." He fidgeted, gloves tapping together, voice almost frantic with concern.

"He's right," Professor said. "It's a corrupted shipment of Ether. Guess the Scorn are trying to 'recruit' a few new followers." Solo shook his head and shuddered at the implications dripping from that. Cupcake floated over and nudged his shoulder, comforting him and letting the Exo reach out to rub her shell.

"Wait, what?" asked Seeks, halfway to their radio.

"He means it's ... a trap," Cupcake said, her speakers filling the air with an ominous tone. "The Scorn make it look like an easy score of Ether, but then when they consume it, it corrupts them. How many desperate Houses are out there that wouldn't question something like this?" Her shell fluttered in a gesture meant to mimic a shrug.

Alexa shut off the holographic flow of data. "That's why we didn't radio for help right away," they said, now that everyone was roughly brought up to speed. "Vanguard protocol would be to do pretty much the same thing, use it as bait, then when they come to get it, send in a Fireteam and wipe them out."

Scampi winced at the matter-of-fact tone that his Ghost friend used. "I don't want that either," he said, posture hunched down and fingers practically a blur as they wiggled. "Please, help me I don't want to see my brothers and sisters choke on corrupted ether, or be incinerated by Guardians."

"Aw shit," Seeks said, face twisting up in a grimace as he rubbed at his hair. "Well, I mean, what else can we do? It's not like we can just carry the ether away, our jumpships aren't built for like, heavy-duty cargo, you know."

Solo jumped up. "I got it!" he said, pumping his fist in the air. Cupcake began to vibrate excitedly as well, mirroring her Guardian's enthusiasm. "We got to blow it up! Make it so that there's no reason for the Vanguard to bring the hammer down AND the scorn don't get what they're after! Yeah?" His eyes glowed with excitement as he looked around at the others.

Scampi's expression couldn't be seen behind the helmet of his armor, but he bounced too. "You would help me with that?" he asked, the fear in his voice melting away to reveal hope.

"I know we don't have that kind of explosive ordnance here," Alexa piped up, shell shaking back and forth. "And it's not like we can get it quick enough, I thought it'd be better to just call in the Vanguard, make it cleaner than what the Scorn were planning."

Seeks fairly cringed at that. "Come on, dude, that's just, ouch, you know?" he said, giving Alexa a disapproving head shake and walking over to Scampi to give the wilting Fallen a hug. "OK, so we gotta be quick cuz others'll find it." He huffed and grunted, head waggling as he ran through different ideas.

"You sound like you've got something in mind," Professor glided on over to hang over Seeks' shoulder. Meanwhile Solo grabbed a towel and started drying himself off. In the excitement, he'd forgotten about that, and about getting clothes on.

"Maybe?" Seeks said, voice laden with anxiousness. "I mean, I think I could probably call around and see if anyone's got some extra explosives we could get, like, now. Thirty or fourty pounds oughta do it, right?" He and Scampi both looked up at the Ghosts with puppy dog eyes. Cupcake was off to the side playing a cheery tune for Solo while he got his armor on. The Exo never was much for this part of things, he was more about the implementation. Especially if it involved punching things.

Professor and Alexa, though, glanced over at each other, eyes flashing in a quick exchange of information, running calculations together. "Twenty-five pounds would be adequate, or three liters of the altered Organogel, going by the reports from Asher's experience with converting Red Legion fuel to an accelerant," Professor listed off, voice as dry and businesslike as always.

"You'll try?" Scampi asked, his anxious ksssssing noises fading as he accepted comfort from the others.

Alexa's shell whirled around them in an expression not unlike throwing up one's hands. "I still say we should call the Vanguard," they said. "But ... fine. I'll hold off until we try things your way."

Solo whooped and scooped up his shotgun and bow, sliding them into the holsters on built into his breastplate. "We can totally do this!" he said, coming over to wrap his arms around Seeks and Scampi both in a big hug. If they'd been stuffed animals, they would have definitely squeaked.

"Okay!" Seeks wheezed, laughing and thumping Solo on the head. "Before you squish us both, lemme make a few calls, see what I can find. How much time do you think we have before some crew stumbles onto the trapped ether?" He rubbed at his ribs and straightened his shirt, looking to Scampi and Alexa.

"Oh, let me think," Scampi replied, a raspy noise coming from him, the Eliksni equivalent of a human humming. "Alexa, could you put a few encryptions on the data stash? We must not let the ones who set the trap know that it's been recognized, but could delay finding it."

The Ghost's shell waggled side to side, eye flickering a moment as it ran a few test programs. "Yeah, but putting enough encryption to delay its finding without tipping the Scorn would only slow things down a few hours at best," Alexa replied. "We'll have to work fast."

"We'll go get the ship prepped then!" Cupcake chimed in, playing a swelling, heroic score as she projected a starburst. Her Guardian puffed up his chest and nodded, then they were off, as full of energy as always.

"Then we'll make the calls and source what we need," Professor said, his shell nodding once in an affirmative before hovering off toward the radio.

Seeks trailed behind his Ghost, rubbing at his hair as he went, muttering to himself. He only made it a few feet before he turned back. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "I gotta get my gear ready. Think we'll run into trouble?" He looked to Scampi anxiously and attempted a reassuring smile. It got crossed with the fear and just made him look confused.

"You find the explosives, I will get your weapons and armor ready!" Scampi bounced toward him and bumped his helmet against Seeks' chest. "Thank you. Both of you. Good friends, loyal friends, and strong Guardians, too. Thank you." Relief carried through, helping calm the Awoken man as well as he went off after Professor.

The next few minutes were a buzz of activity as all of them, Ghost, Guardian and Eliksni, prepared for the excitement. Armor and weapons were cleaned and charged, Cupcake, Alexa and Scampi discussing heatedly what would be a good loadout for them to carry that would hopefully not result in them killing the ones they were trying to help save from a brutal death.

The Exo, Solo, made his input too. He was never the most insightful when it came to putting together the plan, but he knew his way around their weapons and how to make the most of them, even more than the Fallen. In the end, they decided that grenade launchers with blinding and concussion rounds would provide the shock and awe needed for them to make their getaway without leaving a trail of fragged enemies behind them.

"It never feels not strange, using your Vanguard weapons," Scampi said, clicking in amusement as he slotted the rounds into the bulky tangle of tubes, cylinders, handles and trigger that made up one of their large grenade launchers. It settled awkwardly in his arms, built for the joints and shape of human/exo arms. After a few tries, though, he managed to get a good grip on it and aim down through the sights, having to tilt his head much further to get more than just one eye lined up with it. "I'm not sure I'll be able to fire this with anything resembling accuracy. I wish I could get my hands on a good wire rifle." He let loose a high-pitched wheeze, his equivalent of a wistful sigh.

"Lemme see, we don't want you accidentally giving someone a grenade to the chest, yeah," Solo came over, and helped adjust the stock and handle enough to give the Fallen a way to hold it less awkwardly and more easily hold and aim it. "Handling's always gonna be a bit awkward, but this should help with that." Nodding, he smiled brightly and wandered off to fiddle with his own loadout in preparation. Cupcake hovered over his shoulder and played a cheery tune, one that they could bob their heads in time with and help keep them focused on their tasks.

A smaller breech-loaded launcher and submachine gun loaded with Arc energy were prepared for Seeks next, something that would easily punch through a large Captain's heavy shields, and also provide more explosions to get the Eliksni raiding party they hoped they wouldn't even see to keep their heads down. The Exo, as always, had his weapons prepared too and cleaned thoroughly. He usually did most of the weapons maintenance. The others helped when they could, but he always seemed most at ease when adjusting, calibrating, or otherwise fiddling with the weapons. And the results could never be argued with, anyway.

The Ghosts, meanwhile, buzzed and hummed amongst themselves. Alexa and Cupcake alternated between getting the jumpship fueled up and ready, and helping to keep the others amused with music or videos of the latest City holodramas. They glanced over at Seeks, who stood at their radio comms. Occasionally he'd stand up and gesticulate. They couldn't hear what he was saying, given the distance and the Awoken's naturally soft voice, but the longer he took, the more Solo and Scampi fidgeted, shifted and paced.

Finally, Professor and the Awoken cut off their transmission and approached the others. The Ghost floated just behind him, as always looking unperturbed. Seeks, meanwhile, had his shoulders hunched down, and wouldn't make eye contact with them. "It'll take some Glimmer, but they agreed to give us some," he said, his face scrunching up and grimacing occasionally, as if he'd eaten something that disagreed with him.

"How much?" Scampi asked, practically bouncing with eagerness. "I have some saved!"

"Here's the bill," Professor swung forward and projected a list in front of them. At the bottom of the list was a very long number. Solo, lounging in a chair nearby and sipping on a can of energy drink, began coughing and tipped back over, landing flat on his back and then scrambling to right himself.

The Eliksni chirped and clicked, tapping on his fingers. "Oh, oh, oh," he said, glancing back to Alexa. The Ghost's eye display flickered off a moment, then it projected a number in the air. It was a much smaller number.

"Here's what you've got stored, not counting what we've set aside to get you some Ether from the Spider, if needed," they said, a certain resigned sadness in their voice.

"Maybe I could borrow what's needed!" Scampi said, his voice raspy and high-pitched. "I know the Spider pays well if I do some work in the Shore I could pay it back quickly!" His mandibles shifted in a hopefuly smile, working hard to hide the desperation.

Solo and Seeks both held up their hands and shook their heads. "No!" they said in unison, vehemently. Seeks cleared his throat, looking around at the rest of them and back to his Ghost, the Professor impassively displaying the numbers.

"That shotgun, the one I won in the Rumble tournament," he said after a moment's silence. "I could get a lot for it. And, umm, I've still got some of the winnings from my last few Gambits ...?" He peered up at them anxiously, not looking at any one of them for too long. "That's only part of the problem, though. The rest is, it's not enough explosive to rupture the tanks." His voice dropped and faded, the others leaned in close to hear him. "They can't sell me more than five pounds without having to inform the Vanguard."

Cupcake's music faded as the bad news came, changing to a softer, more somber track. Solo pushed his chair up behind Scampi just as their Eliksni friend's legs started to buckle. "So even if we put together everything we have, that will still not be enough?" Scampi wailed, voice trembling and cracking as he imagined other Eliksni choking and gasping, writhing as their bodies and minds were twisted by the poisoned Ether into more vile Scorn, or incinerated by a Vanguard Fireteam.

Solo tried to comfort him, patting him on the shoulder and looking up at Seeks and Professor. "Could we pay them extra, to keep them quiet?" he asked, faceplates shifting to express his concern, his usually jovial tone steady and serious.

Seeks shook his head. "They said 'not for all the treasure in the Dreaming City,'" he confirmed. "This is the most they'll get for us, any more and they'd tell the Vanguard, and then we'd get attention, and they'd figure out what we were doing, and ..." he trailed off, obviously not wanting to finish the sentence and upset Scampi any more.

Silence hung in the air, the wind's gentle hum and Cupcake's music the only sounds, until suddenly, Alexa's eye lit up. "Wait, I've got an idea," they said, shell whirling and eye flickering as they accessed databanks. "Professor, you mentioned Organogel before." They focused on the Ghost still hovering just over his Guardian's shoulder.

"I did, yes," Professor replied. "Since the Cabal lost ships to the sabotage a year or two back, their stores are fiercely guarded. The Orobas Vectura's cargo bays have had a roughly 200% increase in security patrols. Breaking through them with just our Guardians and him-" Professor nodded toward Scampi, now sitting up a bit straighter and looking to the Ghosts -"would take a few days of preparation to be done with more than a five percent chance of success."

"Yeah, but if we could get some of it, how long would it take us to get it converted to the more volatile mix?" Alexa asked, tilting slightly in the air as they spoke.

"Oh, we could get that done in a few minutes, easy!" Cupcake chimed in now, voice ringing with her usual excitement.

"I remember seeing a scouting report a few days ago, from a Cabal drill that they managed to get into the ground without getting swarmed by Guardians," Alexa said. Their shell began to spin and twirl as they got more excited. "Lemme see if-" they paused, hanging in the air quietly. Everyone else leaned in close, the tension thick as honey hanging in the air. Finally, Alexa's eye lit up and they let out a triumphant laugh.

"Got it!" they shouted, projecting a map of a small mountain valley, back in the EDZ. "The Cabal must've been watching Guardian patrol patterns for weeks to be able to sneak down a drill to extract the fuel, it was sheer luck that a Lightless hunter stumbled on it undetected and reported it. It's been marked for a strike, but given how quiet the Cabal have been, it's a low priority one." The hologram shifted, showing a few still images of Cabal troops around it. A jumpship swung into the range and put down three spots of light. "We could get there within an hour or two, set down, and hit them hard, I bet we could siphon off at least a few liters of that organogel, and between that and what Seeks can get, that'd be enough, right?"

All eyes swiveled to Seeks and the Professor as they looked to each other in turn. They'd been together long enough that a few looks, shrugs, and finally a nod, was enough for them to talk it out. "We think so," Seeks said finally, a nervous grin on his face. Professor's shell bobbed up and down in agreement. "We'll have to all work together on this one. We'll be a real fireteam!" The Awoken's mouth twisted up in a smile and he stepped forward, holding a hand out to the others.

"Yeah!" Solo said boisterously, stepping forward to clasp Seeks' hand, a bright warm smile on the Exo's face as Cupcake belted out a triumphant tune. They all looked to Scampi, the Fallen still perched on his chair.

"A fireteam ..." the Eliksni said, almost reverently, chittering to himself. "Yes. All of us together!" He stood up and moved in to join his friends, reaching out to them. All three of them stood together with their hands clasped. "Will you promise me, if something happens, that you will finish what we have started?" Scampi's voice wavered as he spoke. They all knew that if one of the Guardians was gunned down, their Ghost would bring them back up. For the Lightless Eliksni, though, the prospect of death carried much more finality.

Seeks nodded, swallowing heavily. "I promise," he whispered, eyes shining in the dim light, the sun not yet having peeked more than just a few inches over the horizon, the clear sky promising a bright and sunny day.

"Same here," said Solo, a broad grin on his face. Either the Exo wasn't nearly so worried about that outcome, or he was much more adept at hiding it than the Awoken.


	3. Schlorping Up Stuff

The three of them nodded, shaking hands together to seal the pact between them. The three Ghosts hovering just over them looked between each other before whooshing off to prepare. Each of them had their task, Professor with getting all the Glimmer together they'd need, Cupcake to get the three of them into the now-fueled jumpship, and Alexa to program in the destination from the intel they'd gathered. Time was of the essence, as every moment they spent was one more moment that the very Fallen raiders they were working to save came closer to the trap baited with corrupted Ether.

"Fueled up and ready to go!" Alexa called to the others, a solid beam of light lancing out to tap the display and release the umbilical from the repurposed Cabal shuttle they'd managed to patch together and paint a cutesy warbeast, the rest of it covered with black paint, splotches of all colors over it as if they'd been attacked by a cabal paintball legion.

Scampi climbed into the cockpit, into the pilot's seat and began to warm up the engines. Professor and Seeks climbed in next, taking a spot in the back. Solo climbed into the co-pilot's seat so he could manage things like the shields and guns. Professor began the impromptu mission briefing, displaying a light-woven cube of the area. "Take us down a half mile away, and remember-"

"Keep low, engines quiet, yes, yes," Scampi sounded impatient as the engines began to hum. "Alexa will run tactical and keep ship ready for quick evacuation while we go in." His breathing came quicker and his hands gripped the controls tighter than usual. As soon as the pre-flight was completed, the ship lifted off of the ancient parking garage's roof and sped away.

Nobody spoke on the trip, I the minutes ticking by as the ship whirred around them, the forests and rivers below speeding by. Finally Scampi pointed down at a large open clearing and made a few clicks and harsh groans in his native tongue. "There it is, we are clear, no Cabal detected," he said, bringing the ship down. It thudded into the grass with more force than usual, and Seeks staggered a bit as he moved to open the doors.

"Maybe we could slow down a bit?" Seeks asked, drawing his guns and waiting for the others to follow. "Hurrying too much could put us at risk. I mean, we don't want to see you get hurt ..." he trailed off, the warlock's robes fluttering around him in the gentle wind as Professor swooshed along behind him, marking the direction they'd need to go into his armor's onboard computer.

"Sorry, yes, I'm just-" Scampi moved out, hands shaking a bit as he settled his helmet in place and swung the long-barreled rifle he wielded around in front of him to carry it at the ready.

"Nervous, yeah, and scared?" Solo asked, coming along behind with Cupcake. "Just relax, stay behind us, and we'll work together." They exchanged looks and then nodded, before trudging through the heavy forest toward their target. Silence once again hung over them as they moved, all of them careful to try to avoid any risk of a stray sentry or sensor catching them and ruining the advantage of surprise.

Finally cresting the final ridge, they see the drill tucked into the small valley. With a few quick hand motions, they drop low and sneak up to look down at the gathered Cabal. "Eight grunts, four psions, two of the phalanxes, two gladiators, and ... one centurion," Seeks said, listing off and pointing them out.

Scampi fidgeted nervously, hands running over his weapon as if petting it. "What should we do?" he whispered quietly, his voice carrying clearly over their helmet comm links. His breathing grew heavy and deep. His voice began to tremble. "So many of them ... we can do it, can't we?" He clicked and hummed, waiting for a response from the others.

Underneath their helmets, the expressions of the Exo and Awoken aren't able to be seen. Their body language, however, speaks for them. Solo's shoulders straighten and he puffs up his chest, hefting his bow and giving a thumbs-up. Seeks, meanwhile, seems to slump down, looking down at the floor, his head nodding as if there were a large rock around his neck.

"You cover us from up here, and mind your radar, if you see the red indicators get close, call and we'll come," Seeks said, his voice steady and flat. He drew his shotgun and shook his body, loosening up. "Remember, if they down me, keep going, Professor will bring me up quick. If you go down, it's more permanent." Solo nodded, nocking his first arrow and turning to give Scampi a reassuring thumbs-up.

They left it to Scampi to give the signal, and when he did, Seeks crested the top of the hill and raised his gun, letting loose a bellow to rival that of even the beefiest Cabal before he shimmered and vanished, only to reappear down among the aliens. They focused on the sudden arrival of the howling Guardian as he landed like a grenade, his shotgun letting loose a shredding bursts. Cabal discipline served them well, and they immediately began to fire his way. As the sheer volume of fire came the Awoken's way, a few hit, and a steady stream of cursing began to echo through the comms as his shield began to buckle under the pressure.

Across the meadow where the drill ground away merrily, a Psion charged up a swirling burst of psionic energy, focusing on the robed Guardian. Just as it prepared to unleash the devastating blast, its breathing apparatus suddenly burst, pierced by an arrow and a spray of pressure gel filled the air. Cupcake began to blare a harsh, heavy rhythm at high volume, music to match the heated pitch of battle as Solo jumped up through the trees above, seeming almost to float in the air. He always had the high ground, even when there wasn't any ground under his feet.

Scampi above, froze for a moment. He'd been in battle before, but never against Guardians. The tactics they employed spoke of a recklessness that defied fear and death both. He blinked all four of his eyes at once and clicked his mandibles, refocusing down his sights. The Centurion was jetting in toward Seeks, a glowing blade held high as he descended down toward the Warlock. Scampi fired a barrage, rifle bucking in a familiar-yet-unfamiliar manner to him. Fortunately the shots went true, spattering off the reddish glow of the Cabal shield, but disrupting him enough to where the glowing blade sparked off of Seeks' shield, instead of cleaving his helmet.

"Good so far, mind the radar!" Seeks' voice echoed over their communication link.

Scampi took a moment to glance at the corner of his helm display. "All far away!" he called back, chittering in excitement, breathing heavily as the familiar fear and exhilaration began to swell inside him.

"Got the phalanxes giving cover over here!" Solo's voice echoed, voice garbled over the deep groaning of the cabal language mixed with the heavy cracks of their weapons.

"Be there in a sec, and watch for the Gladiators; Scampi, you see em?" Seeks called back. He emptied the rest of his shotgun's clip into the Centurion before Blinking away toward Solo. Scampi swept the scope of his rifle back and forth over the valley.

"Ksss! Solo!" Scampi hissed in alarm. "Behind the Phalanxes, get distance!" His rifle barked as he emptied the clip in a frantic attempt to provide cover as two massive forms leapt over the phalanxes' energy shields with terrifying agility. The gigantic blade-wielding Cabal were just as fearless as the Guardians, though, and between their thick, heavy armor and massive forms they pushed through the hail of bullets.

"Oh shit, oh shit!" Solo scrambled back, loosing one last arrow at point blank range as he reached for his shotgun. One of the Gladiators staggered, while the other one leapt forward, swords swinging together in an X pattern, with the Exo right at the middle. He cried out in pain as they broke through the shields and scraped against the armor, leaving deep gouges in the bright paint. Luckily it held, and he fired off a few wild blasts with his shotgun, driving the Gladiator back.

It only bought him a moment, however, as the two Cabal warriors quickly rallied, the phalanxes now rushing in on him again. Suddenly a flash of light flickered behind one of the phalanxes and it jerked, dropping down in a spray of pressure gel as Seeks stood behind it with a smoking shotgun, frantically working to slide in another shell.

Scampi hissed in alarm as they raised their weapons and closed in. He screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see them hack and pummel his friend into a sparking wreckage. Instead of screaming, over the comms he heard a crackling hum and looked down to see the Exo on his feet, a bright blue glowing staff seemingly made of lightning in his hand and swinging around, cutting through the Phalanxes shields and holding against the massive blades the Gladiators brought to bear.

After that, the centurion barked something out and the Cabal quickly withdrew.

"Everyone all right?" Seeks asked, resting a hand on the side of his helmet.

"Aww man, they messed up my paint job," Solo said, rubbing at the long scrapes on his chestplate. Cupcake, meanwhile, began to play a triumphant tune and whirled about her Guardian merrily.

"I'm okay too," Scampi said, climbing to his feet. "Can we harvest the gel now?"

Professor flickered back into phase and floated over toward the now-abandoned drill, still grinding away. "Yes, we should be able to get all we need if there's anything at all down there," he said, scanning the panel. Seeks dropped down to his backside and sighed, sliding off his helmet and wincing as he rubbed at the scorch marks that'd been left on his robes. The calm silence was only broken by the soft rushing of the wind and the sound of birds.

After a few moments, Cupcake transmatted a container next to them and it slowly began to fill. "Seems they were desperate enough to go for even a small deposit like this one," she said, filling the air with elevator music while they waited.

"Well, all the better for-" Seeks piped up, when he was suddenly interrupted by a burst of static as Alexa chimed in.

"We got a Cabal cruiser incoming!" they said, sounding worried. "You guys ready to get out of there, seems they really are not happy about what you're doing to that drill!"

Scampi clenched his hands together. "Do we have enough?!" he clicked, hissing in agitation as he looked up at the sky around them as if expecting the ship to drop down out of the sky and squish them all.

Professor waggled his shell. "Not yet, I need ... 2 minutes for enough," he said. "How much time do we have?" The rest of them scrambled to their feet and retrieved their weapons.

"You've got a minute and a half, at the speed they're pushing," Alexa replied. "Vanguard data indicates they'll turn this entire zone into a smoking ruin rather than leave the drill in enemy hands. So, uhh ... cut and run, if we got to."

"No!" Scampi shook his head vehemently, mimicking the human gesture he'd seen so often. "Whatever needs to be done to make it happen, we can do it!" He spoke now with determination, voice steady. He hefted his rifle and slid in a fresh clip.

Static hung a moment in the air as Alexa kept their line open, but didn't speak. "Okay, umm, I can try buzzing them and see if I can distract them for a bit," they said, and the hum of the jumpship's engines came through as they launched into the air.

"That's not gonna last l-long, we didn’t have time to load the weapons," Seeks said. "What ... I don't know. No artillery support, what we've got isn't gonna even touch it!" He shook his head, posture showing despair.

"Your Light's strong enough," Professor settled on his Guardian's shoulder. "You just need to buy us enough time." In the distance, the heavy thrum of Cabal engines drew closer.

"Fuck!" Alexa's voice came over the comms again. "That's all I can do here, sorry guys." Their jumpship swooped in, a few plates on the bulkhead had holes ripped in them, and the sharp acrid smell of smoke came from it.

Seeks stood up, brow furrowed. "You two, get on the ship," he said. "Cupcake, get ready to transmat the gel the instant we've got enough, and Professor, please get me." A pained smile broke out as he slid on his helmet and locked it back in place.

Solo nodded, patting him on the shoulder as he hurried onto the jumpship. "You can do it," he said softly, as he took Scampi's arm in hand and guided him up the ramp into their ship.

The cabal cruiser's massive bulk was almost positioned above them now, and they could see its missile batteries swivel to face down at the drill. "Thirty seconds," Professor's dry voice cut through as the ship slid away, out of the direct line of fire. "Reach out, and trust your strength." The voice was soothing, calming in Seeks' helmet as he looked upward, spreading his arms out to gather his power in his hands.

Red streaks poured out of the Cabal ship's bulk, racing down toward the drill. With a heavy grunt, the Awoken man lifted his arms up and let loose the light, sending a mass of Void light upward. The glowing vortex moved ponderously until it hovered above the drill, pulsing steadily. The first few missiles to touch it simply vaporized in bright purple bursts of light. More and more came and hit, with no sign of the ship stopping its bombardment.

"Give me ... a countdown," Seeks managed to rasp, voice strained as he worked to keep the missiles from destroying their hope. His hands began to shake, but still he held them up over his head.

"Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen," Professor's voice echoed over the comm link. A few of the missiles began to push deeper into the swirling mass of Void that hovered above their target.

"Please," Scampi whispered, voice barely audible over the rush of wind and constant roaring of the Cabal's fire.

The purple light began to dim, and the missiles penetrated deeper, getting closer to their goal. "Five, four, three, two-" Professor's counting continued, steady and calm. The last numbers were obscured by Seeks' raw scream of pain and exertion as he clenched his fists together and let the Light burst, the explosion detonating a few more missiles, before the rest raced down at him and the drill.


	4. The Big Finale

The explosions of the drill’s destruction lasted for minutes past when there was nothing left but a pile of molten scrap and blackened ground. The gigantic cruiser swung around, scanning for the Guardian jumpship it had detected, but eventually turned around and returned to its home base. Miles away, on their ship, Seeks found himself hardly able to breathe, he was being hugged so tight by both of his friends. The ringing in his ears would take a while to fade, and he felt like he’d done a belly flop into a pool of lava, but he could tell that they were shouting, cheering loudly. Cupcake hovered over the canister they’d managed to extract at the last second.

“Can I get a breath or two?” he asked, voice wheezing as he fumbled with the clasps on his helmet.

“Oh! Yeah, sure!” Solo laughed, giving him one more firm slap on the back before giving his friend some space.

Scampi just clung to him tightly, mandibles clicking quietly, eyes screwed shut. Seeks leaned against his Eliksni friend, sweat-streaked hair flopping about loosely as he pulled the helmet free and took some long, slow breaths.

“Okay, guys, we’ve got about an hour before we’ll be at the Ether stash,” Alexa’s voice chimed in the cabin. “Time to get the gel ready with the rest of the explosives?”

Cupcake chimed an affirmative tone. “I got the formulas downloaded from Asher’s data, mixing it up is gonna be child’s play!” she said cheerily, practically vibrating as she mirrored Solo’s adrenaline-powered euphoria.

Professor nodded. “I was able to get the glimmer where we needed it to be,” he said. “You three better get some more rest. The job’s not quite done yet.” His shell flickered and he glided in closer to his Guardian, settling against Seeks’ chest.

Solo sighed in relief and settled down next to the others, wrapping an arm around Scampi and Seeks to let them lean against him. “Knew you could do it,” he said quietly as they took the time to recover and prepare to complete their mission.

The gentle rocking of the ship and rumble of the engines soothed them, and Cupcake played a gentle song as they gathered their strength for the final ordeal that lay ahead of them.

“Guardians …” echoed the voice in the darkness, gentle and soft. “Guardians.” There it was again, louder and more insistent. “Ten minutes until we drop in at the location.” Alexa called back to where they all slumped against each other, napping. Solo’s eyes cracked open first, and he yawned, a long metallic groan as he stretched.

“Rise and shine, buds, almost there!” he called out as he gave each of them, Eliksni and Awoken, a solid pat on the head before climbing up to his feet. With a series of groans, squeaks, and various other scraping and bumping noises, they all managed to get up and stretch out their various stiffened limbs.

Professor and Cupcake both had worked together to assemble and prepare the “package,” a makeshift tangle of wires, tubes and canisters. They took a few moments to explain together how it was supposed to work, and how to keep from blowing themselves up along with the corrupted ether stash. Then, once they’d finished explaining the dangers of the hastily thrown-together explosive device, they paused, lights flickering and shells shifting between each other in indication of the rapid-fire pace of data exchange from one Ghost to another.

“Any question?” Cupcake asked, looking back to the others, swiveling in mid-air to face each of them.

Scampi clicked inquisitively, bobbing his head. “Who will handle detonation?” he asked.

“You should!” Seeks and Solo spoke simultaneously and vehemently. Scampi flinched at the loud noise echoing in the tight quarters of the jumpship’s passenger section.

After a brief pause in which the silence in which the silence almost seemed as loud as their shout. “Uhh, yeah,” Solo said as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “You, you know, if something happens, can’t come, umm, back.” He trailed off and shrugged apologetically, as if afraid Scampi was going to take offense.

Professor levitated the detonator off the nearby seat and floated it over toward Scampi.

“Yes, that is probably wise,” he said, swallowing nervously and taking the offered hunk of plastic, running his claws over the surface of it. “But, if there is no other way, I will not hesitate to blow myself up, if it means to spare others a fate worse than death.” His mandibles fluttered and his tone wavered, even as he gripped the detonator tightly.

A chime sounded in the passenger’s area and a red light began to blink. “Short circuits!” Alexa called over the intercom, an unusual display of anger from the unpaired Ghost. “I’m picking up a Ketch, about two minutes out. We’re one minute away, so we’re gonna have to work real fast.”

Scampi hissed and clutched the detonator close, eyes darting around. “Will we have enough time to plant it?” he asked.

Professor’s shell whirled. “If you hurry, then we may only need to defend the area for thirty seconds,” the Ghost replied.

Solo stepped up next to Scampi and rested a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll keep you safe, as long as you need,” he said. “Just worry about doing it right, ok?”

“Please, be careful,” Scampi said, claws tapping against each other. “Remember, the eliksni we may face, we are there to save them, not kill them.”

Seeks nodded, a panicked look briefly crossing his face before checking the weapons they’d brought. On confirming that the grenade launcher was loaded with the flashbang rounds, he sighed in relief and smiled, sliding his helmet on. “We’re ready; Alexa, let us know when we’re in, umm, transmat range!” he said.

Through the portholes between seats they swooped in low, trees skimming by quickly and ruined buildings approaching fast. “Transmat in five … four … three … two … one!” Alexa’s voice rang out, then the horrible, momentary stimulation of all five senses at once hit them as the transmat dropped them all in the middle of an open, cracked road.

The gut-wrenching sensation of being crammed through a hole in reality was one they were not unfamiliar with, fortunately, so it only took a few moments for them to recover and look around. “Where’s the stash?” Seeks asked.

Scampi scooped up the bomb and dropped down to all six of his limbs minus the one carrying it. “This way!” he said, and scuttled off rapidly toward a large open building, the front lined with pillars, any signs or carvings long since torn off by weather or violence. The Guardians followed their friend inside, their boots thudding in the room, echoes less prominent than one might expect in the cavernous area. Scampi was already fiddling with a small device under a wooden desk at the side of the room, when suddenly with a few more taps, the air shimmered and a large bundle of tanks shimmered into view, their camouflage now deactivated.

The swirling hiss of the Ketch approaching overhead began to grow louder, deeper, a basso rumbling shaking them all to their cores as well. “Get ready!” Seeks flipped the safety off of his grenade launcher and nodded to Solo, who readied his own. “You got this, call out as soon as it’s ready and you’re out of the blast radius, and we’ll let you know when we’re clear.”

Scampi nodded as they strode purposefully toward the door, the Hunter’s cloak and the Warlock’s robes trailing them as they went outside, leaving their Eliksni friend to his work setting up and preparing the bomb.

Skiffs were just arriving, a few dregs and vandals dropping in with Servitors to secure the area. They clearly weren’t expecting anyone, and the first Dreg to spot them screeched out a loud, guttural warning to the others before diving for cover. “They think it’s a Vanguard Fireteam,” Professor helpfully translated from his cover inside Seeks’ pack, moments before the Eliksni who’d come for the tainted Ether opened fire, crackling, sizzling bolts from wire rifles as well as the buzzing rounds from the shock pistols flying toward them.

“Well, I won’t tell if you won’t!” Solo laughed, diving out of the way and firing off a few of the flashbangs, the resounding blasts disorienting and scattering a few of their enemies, but leaving no scorched bodies behind. Almost immediately, the large, groaning metal orbs gathered the smaller Fallen around themselves, projecting their shields to allow them to advance.

“Motherfuckers, hope these scare them too!” Seeks replied, flipping a toggle to bring up a scope on his, aiming carefully and popping off a few of the grenades around one of the servitors. The rapid-fire heavy bursts shook the building, and the servitor rumbled and hovered away, shaken and dropping the shield off of its allies.

By now, two Captains descended from a skiff, bringing with them reinforcements. The searing shrapnel rounds of their cannons gouged chunks out of the stonework around them, and one of them barked out an order. Almost immediately, some of the dregs threw grenades at them, sparking with arc energy and the two Guardians were forced to dive aside as they unleashed crackling bursts nearby.

The servitors swooped back in and projected their shields, as the Captains drove their underlings forward mercilessly, screaming out incomprehensible threats in their insectile tongue. 

“Shield’s down!” Solo shouted as a few of the Vandals who’d been hanging back managed to focus on the Hunter.

“Shit! Over here!” Seeks shouted back, shoving a few more grenades into the launcher and firing them out, aiming more directly for the captains. The rounds bounced off the shield, but they succeeded in causing them to scatter momentarily, stunned by the bright plumes of light and deafening blasts. In the brief calm, the Warlock opened a Rift around him, leaving a circle of shimmering Light. As Solo stepped inside, it recharged his shield.

“The explosives are set! I will be coming out now!” Scampi’s voice came over their radio.

“Great! Out of ammo, trying something else!” Solo shouted, firing off the last of his flashbangs before tossing the launcher aside and stepping forward, calling the luminous staff into his hands again. He charged the line, brandishing it and swinging wildly, sending the smaller dregs and vandals scattering, always swinging just short. It worked until one of the Captains, emboldened by the fact that there were no casualties yet, and attributing it to his own strength, stepped forward and swung at the Hunter with a flickering blade.

Solo blocked it and swung back, staff thudding against the Captain’s shield. Even pulling his punches, the staff still caused the shield to burst at once in an overload, sending the nearby Fallen tumbling back.

Seeks fired off the last of his rounds, right as Scampi opened the door. “We go now, quickly!” the Eliksni shouted, beckoning to the others before scuttling away with frightening speed on all six limbs.

“Good, the bastards weren’t buying the act any more I think!” Seeks shouted, tossing aside the empty launcher and drawing his rifle, firing a few wild rounds intended to drive back a few of the bolder Dregs that were pushing forward. “Solo, disengage, as far as you can! Scampi, blow it as soon as you’re safe, if it hits us, well … no biggie!” Solo looked over and nodded, preparing to run. The Captain took the opening and brought his blade down, punching through the shield and leaving a long, deep gash along Solo’s arm.

“Dammit! Just blow it! Blow it now! And Cupcake, don’t raise me until they’re gone!” Solo shouted, staggering back, clutching at the wound and swinging once more with the Arcstaff before it flickered out, Light spent for the moment. He jumped away, rolling as far as he could and covering his head with his hands instinctively. The big Captain, assuming the Guardian was cowering before it, raised his swords and roared, stepping forward slowly, savoring his victory over one of the fearsome Deathless Humans.

The Fallen let out a loud cheer, most of them descending on Solo, a few others looking to the building about to claim their spoils when the roof of the building shuddered, and a cavernous roar burst forth as the explosives inside detonated, sending them all flying back as the building’s walls ripped open, sending flames and a dark, vile-smelling smoke out over the battlefield.

Slowly, the Fallen crawled up to their feet, a few of them keening in dismay as they saw what they hoped to be an easy few meals go up in smoke, literally. Solo got to his feet as well, and limped away into the underbrush. “Good job fireteam,” he said, chuckling weakly. “I’m ready to go home.”

“On our way in to grab you, radar shows the Fallen are drawing back,” Alexa’s voice came in. The heavy thrum of the Ketch faded into the background, now that their prize was gone.

“Okay Cupcake, it’s safe now,” Solo said. “I’ll just rest here a bit.” She shimmered back into phase and began to mend her Guardian.

“Scampi and I are on our way to you too,” Seeks’ voice came in, and the rustling of the brush and leaves as they came closer was like music to Solo’s ears. “Alexa, new rendezvous on Solo’s position.”

The flight back was quiet; all of them curled up together as exhaustion was finally allowed to poke its head in and demand they get some rest.


End file.
